Body by the Docks: detectives investigate a baffling mystery

by Diane M Dickson

  “She’s still alive.”

  “Well, as I say, she more than likely was when the baby was put in the box. Of course, there is always the possibility she had expressed milk but to be honest, in this situation, I would have thought it unlikely. If they had needed to feed the little fella without his mum around, they would have just given him some baby formula stuff. And really, low lifes like this… would they even bother?”

  “That’s the best news I’ve had all day. Thank you.”

  “Good luck, Jordie. This is turning into a real conundrum, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, you could say that. Thanks, though, you’ve been a great help.”

  “Terry, you’re with me, we’ll go back to the house, have a word with the search team, and then I reckon we might as well go to the hospital and have a chat with Gary.”

  Chapter 53

  There was a uniformed officer stationed at the front door to the McCardles’ house. “Anything going on?” Jordan asked him.

  “Nothing, sir. A couple of neighbours wanted to know how the baby was. They’d seen the ambulance. Apart from that it’s all quiet.”

  “Have you had the picture of Eddie McCardle sent to you?”

  “Aye, I have.”

  “Okay, so if you see him, let me know immediately. Don’t try and detain him. I think you being here would scare him off anyway but keep your eyes open. It’s important.”

  Jordan used the key he had been given by Gary McCardle.

  “He was upstairs all the time we were here with the baby, wasn’t he?”

  “I reckon so. I wonder just how long he’s been around,” Terry said.

  “Well, obviously that’s one of the things we need to ask Gary, so we’ll get off to Alder Hay as soon as I’ve had a quick gander at the bedroom.”

  “Are you okay, sir, you’re limping?”

  “I’m fine. Just jarred my back.” Jordan had to drag himself upstairs using the banister rail but there was no doubt the pain was being held at bay by the pills. He glanced at his watch and calculated how long he’d have to wait before he could safely take more. It was a couple of hours yet.

  The bedrooms looked the same as they had on his last visit except for the small one overlooking the back yard. The narrow single bed had been made up and obviously slept in, and there were clothes in a pile in the corner. Jordan pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves and took a pen from his pocket to separate the dirty socks and boxers. There was one pair of jeans and he pushed his fingers into the pocket. He dragged out crumpled tissues and a few coins. They were mixed British and European but there was nothing more.

  Jordan went back to where Terry was in the kitchen peering into the bin and the bags by the door. “Well, boss, unless Gary has spent the last few days doing nothing more than eating and boozing, he’s had someone here.”

  “Yes, I’d thought the very same thing. The bedroom upstairs has been used. So, Gary has been keeping secrets, hasn’t he? I reckon the best thing we can do now is go and have a word. Give Ros a call at the hospital, let her know we’re on the way, find out where they are. We can’t do anything else here and I hate to say it, but I don’t think Eddie McCardle will still be in this area. We have to look, of course, I guess we have to start somewhere. But there’s no real point in us hanging about. There are plenty of bods out there.”

  * * *

  “It’s bloody impressive this place, isn’t it?” Terry said as they parked outside the hospital. “I remember the old Alder Hay, it was really grim. A big old house converted into one of those workhouse buildings, I think, and then used for soldiers in the wars. It was really scary. Our Paul was in for a bit when he had his appendix out. But this is lovely. I reckon if you’re a kid it’s bad enough being in hospital without being in a dark old building. But yeah. This is good.”

  There were signs showing them the way from the short stay car park to the emergency department. “You stay here, Terry. Have a natter with the staff, show them the picture of Eddie McCardle. He might have been hanging around to find out what was going on. I’m going to have a word with Gary. I’m diverting my phone to you but if there’s anything urgent you’ll have to come up and find me.”

  Jordan was delighted to see the baby wide awake and smiling at his uncle who jiggled a blue teddy up and down in front of him.

  Rosalind Searle was on a chair by the door. “He’s doing okay,” she said. “They took blood and gave him a real good going over but they reckon he can go home in the morning. He was probably given something. They haven’t been able to decide what it was yet. One of the doctors said he reckoned it was possibly something pretty simple like an antihistamine. Not a nice thing to do with a little kid but, you know, better than some of the alternatives. They’re keeping him in to just make sure there are no side effects, keep taking urine and what have you.”

  “That’s good news. I bet Gary’s chuffed.”

  “You’d think, wouldn’t you? He was okay for a while, quite friendly, really. I think the shock of it all just made him glad he had somebody to talk to. But then…”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, he took a phone call. Got down the banks from the medical staff for having his phone on. Since then, he’s been sullen with me. Wouldn’t say who phoned him, wouldn’t talk about it. Got quite stroppy, to be honest. He is nice with the baby I have to give him that. But he’s really narky with everyone else.”

  “Okay,” Jordan said. “I have some news about Molly that might be a bit of a bright spot, so I’ll have a word. You can take a break if you want. Get a cuppa or whatever.”

  “Brilliant, thanks, boss.”

  Jordan put a friendly hand on Gary McCardle’s shoulder, but it was shrugged away.

  “What do you want now?”

  “Just a few words. I have some news for you about your sister.”

  Gary pushed the chair back from the cot side and stood to look directly at Jordan. “What? What’s happened? Have you found her?”

  “I’m afraid not, not yet. We do believe, though, that she fed Jakey, not long before he was brought to your house. I suppose it’s even possible it was her who left him there. So–”

  “No, she didn’t leave him. She wouldn’t have done. She wouldn’t have drugged her baby either. What do you think she is? It wasn’t her.”

  “Okay, so if you’re so sure it wasn’t your sister, Gary, who do you think it was? Have you any idea at all?”

  The pause was just a few seconds too long. The glance to the side spoke volumes and now Gary wouldn’t meet Jordan’s eyes. He looked down at the cot where Jakey was drifting off to sleep with his little fist stuck into his mouth.

  “We need to have a talk, Gary. The baby’s okay. When my colleague comes back, she can sit with him and you and I are going to have an honest conversation.”

  Chapter 54

  “Okay, come on, Gary. DC Searle will sit with Jakey and I promise you she’ll let you know immediately if there is any change or any need at all for you to come back. Let’s go to the coffee bar. You could probably do with a break and we really need to talk, somewhere quiet.”

  There was no service in the Costa and they were forced to buy drinks from a machine, but it wasn’t important. “You had a phone call?” Jordan said.

  “So?”

  “My DC said it seemed to upset you.”

  “What would she know? Stuck up cow.”

  “Okay, let’s not get off on the wrong foot here. I’m trying to help you. Surely you can meet me halfway. The main thing now is to find your sister and bring her home safely, yes?”

  Gary shrugged his shoulders and mumbled. “Yeah, ’course.”

  “Okay. I’ve been back to your house. How long was he there?”

  “Who? Jakey? You know I called you as soon as he was brought back.”

  “No, not Jakey. Your Eddie. How long has he been here?”

  “I told you Eddie–”

  Jordan held up a hand. “Don’t – we know he’s back in the country. W
hat we need to find out is why and where he is now. Was the phone call from him?”

  “No.”

  “No? Well, who then?”

  Gary sipped at the paper cup and sighed. His shoulders slumped as he let go of the bravado and denial. “It was from Spain. From one of the waiters in the bar. I know him from when we were over there.”

  “Okay. So?”

  “He was looking for Eddie. But not only that. He said he was closing up the bar. They’re running out of stuff and they can’t do the ordering – so that’s one thing.”

  “Yes, and?”

  “He was scared. He said he’s going back home to his own village until Eddie comes back to sort things out. He’d had visits from some blokes who threatened him. He said he likes Eddie but he’s not staying around to deal with these people. To be honest, I didn’t really understand all he was going on about and he was gabbling. The guy was definitely scared.”

  There was a pause. Jordan knew there was more, and he waited in silence, giving Gary time.

  “Okay, they’d given him a message. Said to tell Eddie if he didn’t sort things, then more of his family would pay. Shit, that sounds so bloody ridiculous when I say it, like something out of a movie but it’s what he said. Our Eddie already told me it wasn’t the old stuff this was all about. He said this was nothing to do with Ireland and Dada. I reckon whoever they are he’s got trouble with, they’ve got Molly and they killed Mam, drugged Jakey. They’re bloody monsters. You have to find her. You have to find my sister and get us away. You have to make us safe.”

  By now Gary’s hands were shaking and his leg jiggled up and down under the table. “We haven’t done anything. I don’t know what our Eddie is mixed up in, I don’t want to know – but we haven’t done anything, not me and Molly, not Sandy neither.”

  Jordan leaned across the narrow table and patted Gary’s hand. “I’m going to do what I can. Anything you can tell me that might help, now is the time. I’ll be honest, although it’s great that the baby is back, I’m not sure it’s altogether a good thing.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “I just think it’s an elevation of the situation and time is running short. Can you get in touch with Eddie? Tell me honestly.”

  “No. I can’t. I’ve tried his phone but it just rings and rings.”

  “Okay – so have you any idea where he might have gone? Any place you can remember he might be using as a bolt hole to hide up? Maybe somewhere you went when you were kids.”

  Gary picked at the edge of the cup, pulling bits from the rim and dropping them into the cold coffee. Eventually he looked up. “It’s so long ago since Eddie was here. But there was a place; when we were lads. You know where we used to go for a fag and to drink cider.”

  “Okay. It’s a start. You need to tell me where.”

  “Will she stay with our Jakey, that woman? If I come with you. Will she stay and make sure he’s okay? I don’t want anything to happen to him and I don’t want anyone to think I’m just leaving him.”

  “Yes, she will.”

  “Okay. I’ll show you.”

  Chapter 55

  It was breaking dawn as they left the hospital. Gary had picked up Jakey to give him a cuddle. “Don’t let them think I’ve left him. Make sure they know I’m coming back,” he told Ros Searle. “I don’t want bloody social services poking their noses in. He’s mine, my family and we’re just waiting for his mam to come home. You make sure.”

  Jordan stopped off in the main reception to have a quick word with Terry Denn who was snoozing on an uncomfortable seat in a corner of the space, which was relatively calm at this early hour. “Nobody has seen him, boss. I gave a copy of the picture to the security blokes and they’re keeping an eye out. I’ve had a walk around every half hour or so but it’s all quiet. The local search was stepped down around the McCardles’ at about two o’clock. They’ll go out again in the morning if there’s no change in instructions. The chopper is heading back to Hawarden, but they said they’ll go up again tomorrow if you want them to.”

  “Okay, thanks for that. I think it might be best for you to hang on here. He still might show up. I’ll keep you informed and if this doesn’t lead anywhere, which I think might well be the case, we’ll be back.”

  “I could go if you like, boss. Your limp is worse. Shame you can’t see someone here.”

  Jordan glanced around at the bright colours and kid-friendly decorations and grinned. “Hmm, I might be a bit bigger than they are used to. No, it’s fine – I’ve taken some more painkillers and to be honest, walking about eases it a bit.” The bit about the painkillers was true, the rest of it was mostly wishful thinking. But he didn’t want to hand this over to anyone else.

  He sent a text to Penny: “Sorry love. Probably won’t be home until much later. Give Harry a cuddle from me. Love you.” She’d already played host to Nana Gloria. Taking her around Liverpool, showing her the Pier Head and the Beatles trail. He’d barely seen his grandmother but she’d been understanding in the way she always was. He’d need to make this up to both of them at some stage.

  Out on the quiet early morning roads, Gary directed them back towards the McCardles’. “Head towards the Technology Park station, and then cross the railway and I’ll tell you where to go. Mind you, I’m not sure this place’ll still be there. It’s years since I went down. Me and Eddie were together a lot when we were kids, even later when we were teenagers. There was always the secret at home. Always the worry about who you were mixing with. I don’t know how much of it was real. Maybe Dada was too careful. He’d taken a big risk to get us out of Ireland. I think maybe it made him worry all the time, made him paranoid. Poor old bugger I’m only just now beginning to see what it must have cost him. Anyway, me and Eddie used to get our bikes and come here. Once we found the hut, we reckoned we had some big secret of our own. We had a little gas stove, torches, old sleeping bags. We never stayed overnight – we wouldn’t have got away with it. But we came when it was cold and it was nice, sitting there all wrapped up drinking cider and saying what we’d do later, when we could get away. Ha, Eddie actually made it as well. Me? Well, look at me now, working in bloody Argos and living in a one room flat. Anyway, this place was far enough away so we wouldn’t be seen by the neighbours and nobody looked twice at us because there were people around even quite late in the evening in the summer. There. Park in that gateway. Don’t expect you have to worry about parking – you being a copper and that.”

  They were beside the railway where it ran along the backs of semidetached houses.

  “You might have to shin over the gate. Can you do that?”

  Jordan knew he shouldn’t, and with his back stiff and painful he didn’t even know whether he could. But if Eddie was in this hiding place he might not be there for very long and the risk of missing him grew as the light increased.

  The gate was constructed of upright metal bars over a metre and a half tall. “Shit, that didn’t used to be there.” Gary pointed to the bar above, which had been fixed between the posts. Spaced along its length were sharp steel teeth.

  “You really aren’t supposed to get in here, are you?” said Jordan. “What the hell is it?”

  “It’s just allotments. That’s how we found it. Mam knew somebody who used to sell tomatoes and we came with her one time.”

  “Well, there’s no way we’re going to be able to get over there. Damn it, I’m going to have to call for backup. Unless…”

  The house next to the entrance was mostly in darkness but there was a faint light visible, shining out over the back garden.

  Jordan marched up the short driveway and knocked on the door. A dog barked inside. He knocked again and pulled out his warrant card.

  The old man who answered the door was wearing a thick woollen dressing gown and hung onto the collar of a growling Alsatian with one hand and hefted a heavy stick in the other. “What is it, what do you want knocking on doors at this time in the morning? You’ll have the wife awake
and there’ll be hell to pay.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. We need to access the allotments urgently. Could we climb over your back wall?”

  “Here, let me see that properly.” He leaned the stick against the door frame and took the warrant card in his hand to hold it up to the motion sensor light that had illuminated the porch. “Right, well, DI Carr, no, you can’t go climbing over my back wall. God knows what damage you’ll do and don’t bother to mention compensation, I know how that’d go. Anyway, you don’t need to. I hold a key to the gate. I’m secretary to the allotment society. You’ll have to sign a disclaimer, mind. I don’t want you breaking your bloody leg and trying to claim off us. You’ll have to wait as well. I’m not handing my key over to you, card or no card.” He handed back Jordan’s ID. “You could have nicked that – you just never know these days. Wait till I get my kecks on and I’ll let you in.”

  He didn’t take very long. The ends of his pyjama trousers poked out beneath the legs of his jeans and frilled over furry tartan slippers. Jordan bit back a grin and stood aside to allow him access to the padlock and chain. He had a clipboard and pen with him and a printed form.

  “We use these when people come looking to take on one of the plots, so it’ll have to do. Both of you – come on, lad.” He thrust the paperwork towards Gary who glanced once at Jordan and then scribbled a signature.

  “I’m locking this gate behind you.”

  “I’d rather you didn’t, sir,” Jordan said.

  “I don’t give a monkey’s what you’d rather. I leave this open and by the time I’ve had my porridge half the bloody stuff in there will have been lifted. How will I explain that to my members? No, you’ll have to ring me when you want to get out – here.” He held out a scrap of paper with a phone number scribbled on it.

  As they stepped off along the dirt path, they heard the rattle of the chain and lock behind them.